Sony anticipating PS4 “sell-out situation”

Sony has admitted that it is preparing for a “sell-out situation” in light of the PS4 pre-order shortages.

Stating that thePS4 pre-order numbers are “higher than we’ve ever seen in 20 years”, Sony now has to prepare a strategy for a potential “sell-out situation” at launch.

“The problem with pre-orders, which is a good problem to have, is that they’re very, very high”, said Fergal Gara, Vice President and Managing Director of Sony UK. “Higher than we’ve ever seen in 20 years in this business.”

“We need to help retailers manage the expectations of their customers and not let them down. And that is why we advise them that, from August 5, they should not guarantee anyone they will get their unit on day one.”

Sony said it is trying to ensure that “nobody over promises and under delivers” when it comes to PS4 launch deliveries, as it copes with “what is genuinely very high demand” for its next-generation console.

“We are going to be looking at a sell-out situation and chasing demand, it’s a problem, it’s kind of a good problem to have, but it is a problem and we’re trying to manage that as responsibly as we possibly can.”

With the PS4 release date in the UK and US now announced, Sony said it is making plans to avoid the “sell-out situation.”

“[We will now] start the nitty gritty conversations with retailers about exactly how many units they’re going to get, so they may be able to satisfy some of the second [post pre-order] list on day one, or not.”